SilkenDove

Saturday, April 19, 2014

Clarifying vs. Chelating

Hey, beautiful people! In my search for cleansers, I forgot about something pretty important and I wasn’t reminded of it until recently by a fellow forum member -- clarifying and chelating.

Clarifying is a deep clean where you are removing buildup from the surface of the hair, including dirt, oil, gel and silicones. Think of it as a very intense shampooing. You should do this if it feels like your staple products have stopped working. You may also want to clarify if you are trying out new products, so you can see how it works without the benefit of residue from your prior products. Some people clarify on a schedule, like once a month, but I personally just clarify when my hair needs it (i.e., my products aren’t working, my hair feels gross or I know I used a lot of gel or other product in my last style). Good clarifiers include:

Sulfate shampoo (not an option for me)
“Clarifying” shampoo (these use ingredients that are just as strong as sulfates)
African Black Soap (my preferred clarifier)
Apple Cider Vinegar (my alternate)
Baking soda
Aritha ayurvedic powder
Bentonite clay

Chelating is not the same. Chelating goes one step further than clarifying to remove metals and minerals from the hair. You should do this periodically if you have hard water to remove the mineral deposits, like magnesium and calcium, or if you are a swimmer to remove the chlorine. Don’t chelate if you don’t have to because it is guaranteed to strip your hair. You can find out more about hard water on the U.S. Geological Survey website and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency website. A good way to determine if you have hard water is to check here where some counties post their annual drinking water quality reports online. You can also buy test trips at your local home improvement store. Good chelators include:

"Chelating" or “Swimmer’s" shampoo
Citric Acid a/k/a sour salt
Phytic Acid
Shampoo containing EDTA

I checked my county’s quality report, which said that my area has moderately hard water. I then bought some teststrips online, and I actually have very hard water. Thankfully, I already deviated from my no-buy to purchase Aubrey Organics Swimmer’s Shampoo because it was on clearance (they are discontinuing the old label) and I know my son and I will be swimming this summer, so I will probably use that this weekend.

It probably goes without saying, but I will say it anyway. After clarifying or chelating, be sure to condition your hair so that it is not left in the stripped state.

Do you clarify or chelate? How often?

Sunday, April 13, 2014

Updates 4-13-14 and The Rinse Out Conditioner Hunt

Hey, beautiful people! Sorry I’ve been MIA for a while, but I promise I have a good reason. I’m pregnant! Yup. The end of my first trimester was pretty rough, including a trip to the ER, so I didn’t really have energy to do much, including post. I hope to get back to posting more frequently now.

Aside from my big announcement, there isn’t much going on with me. As you can probably tell from my posts, my goal right now in my natural hair journey is really figuring out what products work for my hair, so I’m still doing that by working through my toolbox essentials. I’ve investigated what properties work for me in cleansers and moisturizers, and I think I’ve nailed both of those. I even have staples and some backups. I just have one more post for cleansers that I want to do on clarifying vs. chelating to make sure I understand the difference between the two. Next, I’m looking at rinse out conditioners.

I’m a Youtube-a-holic and a LHCF-a-holic, and I’ve noticed that people with long hair don’t necessarily use all-natural products. However, I’m still very conscious of what I put on my body, especially since I’m now carrying a little one. I thought the best place to branch out into more "non-natural" commercial products would be with my rinse out conditioners. There a few reasons why. First, I run through them like water, so an inexpensive one would be great. Second, I don’t leave it on my hair for long, so I’m less worried about the ingredients, though I’m still cautious. Therefore, I’m going to take a few posts and investigate some of the more suspect ingredients in commercial rinse out conditioners.

Do you use products that are not all natural? If so, which ones?

Saturday, March 15, 2014

Product Review: She Scent It Coco Cream Leave-in Conditioner

Price: $12.50 for 9 oz.

Ingredients: Water infused with organic elderflower extract, Calendula, Horsetail & Yarrow Extract, BTMS, Coconut Cream, Vegetable Glycerin, Shea Butter, Meadowfoam Oil, Silk Peptides, Organic Sea Kelp, Fennel, Green Coffee Extracts, Panthenol, Germall Plus, Fragrance

Promise: From the bottle - “Coco Cream Leave-In Conditioner was made for hair that is in need of moisture. An infusion of organic botanicals, oils and silk work in synergy to spring hair back to its original splendid beauty.” From the website - “Looking for softness and shine? Look no further. Coco Creme Leave in conditioner is a daily creamy conditioning treatment that is formulated to gently condition your hair while leaving it with softness, shine and bounce. Adds slip for easy de-tangling.”

Scent: Coconutty vanilla, like a sweet pina colada

Consistency: Light, creamy liquid

Results: I used this frequently after a deep conditioning and then washing my hair with the blueberry co-wash. I was surprised at how soft and moisturized my hair felt. It even helps with detangling. I even loved this in the winter time, despite the glycerin. I just had to layer oil or a thick cream on top to seal it in. The promises are all true, except the shine. I didn't see any shine or sheen to my hair from using this product.

Love it, Like it or Leave It: Love it.

Wednesday, March 12, 2014

The African Black Soap Experiment

Hey, beautiful people! As you probably know if you have been reading my blog, I’m currently on a no-buy. This means that I have been trying to avoid purchasing any new products until I hit my goals. I am currently out of shampoo, though I still have four co-washes with cleansing agents. Normally, the co-washes are enough to cleanse my hair. However, the other day, I experimented with a setting lotion that left flakes in my hair and I wanted to make sure I thoroughly cleansed my hair to get it all out. I didn’t want to buy a shampoo, so I had to get creative with what I had around the house. That is when I decided to try my african black soap body wash on my hair. I will do a formal review after I try this a few more times, but I just had to mention that it worked! My hair felt clean, yet soft. If this consistently works for my hair, I may stop buying shampoos and just use this and my beloved As I Am Coconut Co-wash (I know I need to do a review on this as well). I’m excited!

Have you ever tried black soap as shampoo? What did you think?

Saturday, March 8, 2014

Product Review: She Scent It Marshmallow Herbal Hair Cream

Price: $16 for 9.5 oz.

Ingredients: Aloe Barbedensis Leaf Juice, Marshmallow Root Extract, Calendula Extract, Sunflower Extract, Irish Moss, Vegetable Emulsifier, Castor oil, Olive oil, Coconut Oil, Shea Butter, Wheat Germ Oil, Avocado Butter, Argan Oil, Hemp Seed Oil, Green Tea Extract, Horsetail Extract, Panthenol, Phenoxyethanol, Rosemary oil, Fragrance

Promise: From the website - “This light hair cream is ideal for daily styling. Organic botanicals such as Marshmallow adds moisture. Olive and other hair pleasing oils hydrate, revitalize and condition strands. Leaves hair feeling soft and moisturized.”

Scent: Floral soap

Consistency: Like body cream

Results: I received this as a sample with my other She Scent It purchases, and I am happy I did not purchase it. This had the same scent as the Banana Brulee deep conditioner to me, which I am not a fan of. Also, this left my hair super dry and wiry. Some people are able to moisturize their hair with aloe vera juice, but I am not. I need water.

Love it, Like it or Leave It: Leave it.

Thursday, March 6, 2014

Updates 3-6-14

Hey, beautiful people! I'm just stopping by to do a quick update. I'm still plugging away at my healthy hair journey, but I've made a few changes in my goals for 2014. I'm still taking care of my hair, but I'm no longer focused on getting to waistlength by 2015. I'll get there when I get there. I've also decided to give up on creating a protein regimen. It's better to just give my hair protein when I feel like I need it.

I've been doing a really great job on my no-buy, which is really hard for little ol' product junkie me. Since November, I've only bought one bottle of setting lotion, which I will likely return. My no buy has led to be discovering all kinds of new things about what works for my hair, which I will be sharing in later posts. I've also been making progress on figuring out the best way to airdry my hair. I've learned that, aside from wash and goes, my hair prefers to dry in stretched styles, so I've been working on perfecting rollersetting with curlformers, airdrying in twists, and banding.

Any updates in your hair journey that you want to share?

Saturday, March 1, 2014

Product Review: She Scent It Blueberry Co-wash Conditioner

Price: $12 for 9 oz.

Ingredients: Purified Water, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Marshmallow Root Extract, Rice Bran Oil, Avocado Oil, Behentrimonium Methosulfate and Cetearyl Alcohol, Stearalkonium Chloride, Yucca Root Extract, Cetrimonium Chloride, Vegetable Glycerin, Blueberry Seed Oil, Panthenol Vitamin B5, Fragrance, Germall Plus, Lactic Acid.

Promise: From the bottle - “Blueberry Co-Wash Conditioner is a rich nourishing conditioner that moisturizes while gently cleansing by using the extracts of Yucca Root. It is a wonderful blend of conditioners, oils and botanical extracts meant to give your hair a true spa-like experience. Hair is left soft, detangled and frizz free.”

Scent: Blueberry candy (light scent)

Consistency: Light, thin, almost serum-like. If I told you the first analogy that popped into my head, you would think I was being inappropriate.

Results: This is one of my two favorites from the She Scent It line. I was skeptical at first about whether the yucca root would be able to clean my hair, but it really does! I have been using this product as my cleanser almost exclusively for about a month and a half, and I have not experienced any buildup. Also, a little goes a long way. I still have about a third of the bottle left. It also helps me detangle before I even put in my rinse out. Can you tell I'm a fan?

Love it, Like it or Leave It: Love it.